SOHOMINIUM

Xmas Eve Trip to Port Dickson

2020-12-25T12:35:00.000+08:00

Xmas Eve trip Port Dickson , after the relief of the MCO (Movement Control Order) due to COVID-19 #sohoworkcation #hypersoholand #Natureculturenurture #sohoplay

Rooms for Life Discovery / Experience

2020-11-09T13:55:00.003+08:00

Rooms for Life Discovery / Experience…. Langat Jaya Condominium, Cheras. First 3 months @ RM336 (30% discount off RM480 / month). Fully furnished, inclusive of Utilities (air-cond extra) + WiFi. Near Suntex or Sri Raya MRT stations…. SOHO or AirBnB style …

FREE Life Discovery / Experience Package: (1) AhPek Hill Trail / Waterfall nearby (2) Round-The-World Travel Program introduction (3) Sharing-Economy: Fractional Ownership & Income Opportunities (4) Profit & Purpose in Legacy for Seniors (5) Life-Long-Learning Group …

Join us via Whatsapp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CJCqP32kHEvLE2oY9kgNpK

My shortest Self-Introduction (Eric Y F Lim)

2020-10-15T11:38:00.002+08:00

Inter-Generational Retirement / Aged-Care Home or THIRD CHOICE (?)

2020-10-11T17:38:00.023+08:00

Inter-Generational Retirement / Aged-Care Home or THIRD CHOICE (?)

I am an "active retiree" myself (https://www.facebook.com/630662576/videos/10159067355572577/).. This post is about my observations / personal experience in Property Investment / Personal Development & Holistic Growth in the context of retirement and related issues. This is my story.......

The title could be a taboo topic for many people, because it is very much tied-up with filial piety in the Chinese / Asian context: Should children send their ageing parents to Retirement / Aged-Care Home? This evokes a sense of anxiety and guilt for many parties.

The answer / solution could be complicated to say the least. Maybe a better approach could be by turning the question around: Can an Inter-Generational Retirement / Aged-Care Home be Viable and Sustainable?

Retirement / Aged-Care Home actually comprises of two related groups: Active and bodily-able retirees and seniors needing medical attention / care, with the latter being an extension of the former. It is very much a natural process / progression or phases of Life Cycle ....:(Approximates only, vary according to individuals' genetic makeup, lifestyle etc.)

• First Age: 1 – 25 approx. (Childhood / growing-up and education)

• Second Age: 26 – 55 approx. (Working & raising family)

• Third Age: 56 – 85 approx. (Active retirement)

• Fourth Age: > 85 (needing Aged-Care)

With good health (essential in every Life phase), the Third Age could possibly or most likely to be the longest phase in our life. Most people are not aware of this, with drastic consequences, such as missing out the Third Age as Second Life when we can attend to doing things foregone earlier due to family commitments (both time and finance), and also for such things as exhausting our retirement fund, lack of meaningful engagements (work-wise of hobby-wise), social isolation and emptiness / lack of meaning or purpose in life, spirituality etc. In fact, Third Age is the Second Life we can dream of… financially free of family burdens, and having all the time we need to pursuit whatever attracting our attention and liking..

For all these reasons, the planning / management / mentoring of Third Age (Active Retirement) is crucially important for the following reasons:

(1) Welfare of our ageing parents (if we are so blessed to still have them around)

(2) Preparation for our own retirement (we are all getting old day-by-day)

(3) Instilling the much needed sense of filial piety / respect / care for elders (leaving a legacy worthy of perpetuation with significant cultural, societal impact)

This is therefore an excellent opportunity for an Inter-Generational approach to the development and management of Retirement / Aged-Care Homes and facilities. The common connecting thread is an All-inclusive Wellness and Compassion / Love that are both practical and holistic, even spiritual nurture by virtue of the legacy issue involved, and postponing the need for medical care through positive lifestyle and preventive measures etc. adopted in the Active Retiree stage / phase.

My next question is: Would Active Retirement Home (for Third Agers) or Pre-Aged-Care be viable in itself without the Aged-Care element, but with emphasis on Wellness and Compassion / Love? As this would lower the establishment / management / operation of such Pre-Aged-Care facilities, and calling them …. THIRD AGE HOME, refreshingly new and innovative…. How about THIRD CHOICE in tune with my book (on Sharing Economy as third alternative lifestyle in co-living / co-working / co-owning which I collectively called HYPERCUBE) of the same title..... This could be a new industry in the making and a real BONUS or BOON for the Third Agers / Millennials.

The forth-coming anticipated surge of Property Auction Sales (I personally participated in many auctioned properties involving acquisition, management, subsequent disposal with handsome profits) in the coming months would be a rich source for the selection of good properties for the establishment of such facilities.... Get on board NOW!----- More details / discussion in our special Whatsapp group.----

Property Auction Sale

2020-09-27T23:17:00.001+08:00

Happy Merdeka Day (31/8/20)?

2020-08-31T21:00:00.001+08:00

The celebration of Merdeka Day (31/8/20) this year was marked by the three momentous happenings:

(1) COVID-19 Pandemic & MCO (Movement Control Order, extended to 31st December 2020)

(2) Political Uncertainty

(3) Economy Slow-down

The first event needs little elaboration as it is a world-wide phenomenon having serious consequences on health (LIFE) and wealth (MONEY). Please read my relevant post (10th June 2020) on this topic… http://sohominium.blogspot.com/2020/06/covid-19-pandemic-philosophy-money-or.html

Of equal concern is the political uncertainty prevailing in the country arising from the collapse of the PH (Pakatan Harapan) government and subsequent developments.

The combined effects of the above two events have very serious impacts on the economy of the country, over a very broad fronts.

Personally, I am adversely affected by the almost complete stoppage of the short-term rental business and property agency business. In fact, I proceeded with the consolidation of location by moving property from different sites to one centralized location for easy management.

I plan to use the centralized location to diversify the business operation into more compatible to the COVID-19 conditions expected to last for some time to come, certainly for the rest of the year and most likely for the subsequent year. The main theme would in fact be related to Health (LIFE) and wealth (MONEY), with the addition of happiness …. Forming the famous acronym of HWH (Health / Wealth / Happiness). More details forthcoming in my next post…. Stay tuned.

RTW (Round-the-World) Journey / Trip

2020-07-31T23:52:00.000+08:00

RTW (Round-the-World) Journey / Trip

https://youtu.be/pHTZ4oKymAQ

* Stay FREE in any part of the world
* Meet RTW travelers, without leaving home

YES… you can easily do both, PLUS many more
By practicing CO-LIVING

What is CO-LIVING?

* Sharing of Living spaces and Life experiences

* Exploring the Sharing Economy in Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play

* Suitable for both Millennial and Retirees

* Social Enterprise / Business opportunities in Communal Property Chain

* Do Good. Make Money. Have Fun

A special on-line course will be launched to cover these topics, PLUS many more.... Let me know what other contents you want to be included :D

Room within Room or Box-in-Box-in-Box

2020-06-19T11:42:00.000+08:00

A Room within a Room or Box-in-Box-in-Box (Holon)

The world is very much in a transitional phase, with multiple crisis and opportunities converging both locally and globally.

Things are getting complex and complicated. In our search for answers and solutions, we have a tendency to break things down into simpler and smaller pieces. Yet the real answers or solutions are inevitably in the integration or the synthesis of the component parts --- a (w)holistic approach or transcendence. Looking or searching for the Holon, so to speak.

A good description of Holon is “Everything is always partial, already whole”. It is a kind of “Box In Box In Box” (BIBIB) situation. Failure to appreciate such situation leads to simplistic world-views that tend to encourage segregation and disunity (Opposite of Holon or Moron).

Is there a way that will encourage us to attain the viewpoint or perspective of a Holon rather than a Moron? Maybe we are badly in need of an OGSM --- Observation, Grand-view, Sustainability and Meaningfulness (Not to be confused with ORGASM, though good as a meme equivalent!).

Observation of the inter-plays of the various elements involved will yield a Grand-view of the situation on hand. Furthermore, the answer or solution sought has to possess the quality of Sustainability (present and future generations) and provide the essential element that gives rise to happiness ---Meaningfulness.

(Foot-Note: OGSM originally refers to Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Measures used by Intelligent-ly.)

** Postscript: Why did I make this ROOM-in-ROOM, other than showing BIBIB? It is a preliminary test of a new game called Glamping (Glamorous Camping: luxury camping) which could be introduced or treated as an additional feature / facility for tenant under the HYPERCUBE program.... Please watch out for this introduction of such GLAMPING service .....

COVID-19 Pandemic Philosophy: MONEY or LIFE

2020-06-10T01:10:00.000+08:00

The COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020 is setting off a wave of disruptions (hopefully constructive) in almost all human activities, affecting all sectors, globally and inflicting serious consequences in the areas of Health (Medical and Living Environment), Wealth (Money and Assets), and Happiness (Physical and Mental well-being).

The term, “LOCKDOWN”, is the most often used to describe the drastic measures taken by authorities world-wide to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Essentially, this is the crucially important step to control non-essential movement by the public (STAY-at-HOME), thus achieving the purpose of identifying / isolating infected persons from spreading the disease in the community (with no testing extensively done yet). The priority is to protect / conserve human LIFE.

However, this prolonged LOCKDOWN has seriously and adversely affected most sectors of the economy, especially travel, tourism, hospitality, entertainment, luxury items etc., causing wide-spread business failures and loss of employment, not to mention the losses suffered in the financial / capital market and other asset classes etc. There are therefore strong voices to lift the LOCKDOWN and re-open the economy. The priority is to re-start economic activities to generate Cash-flow or MONEY.

Each argument is correct and logical when viewed in their respective context: (a) Life is more important than Money (b) Money is needed to sustain Life. So we have a serious dilemma here. MONEY or LIFE…. Choose one?

Actually, it is not a Dilemma, but a Symbiosis….. Money and Life co-exist and mutually dependent …. Figuratively speaking, Life Is like an Engine and Money its fuel. An Engine without fuel cannot get started. On the other hand, Fuel or petrol is of no use if there is no combustion Engine.

Therefore, the proper combination of Engine and Fuel will drive a car forward to a certain destination, figuratively speaking again. Work or job is thus done and the purpose achieved, i.e. arriving at the desired destination. Have we missed out anything important?

In fact, there are three vital issues we have not considered: (1) production of the Engine and the Extraction of oil from the ground and its refinery into useable Fuel, both consuming tremendous amount of Energy over extended supply chains and varying levels of MICRO-MANAGEMENT… (2) From our Earth’s perspective, the ultimate source of Energy comes from the Sun or equivalent (nuclear or cosmic energy). (3) Where or what is the desired Destination (purpose / meaning on cosmic scale)? The answer can only be obtained via MACRO-MANAGEMENT by / for each individuals.

So, the choice between MONEY or LIFE can only be solved by MICRO-MANAGEMENT and MACRO-MANAGEMENT done by each person individually based on his / her circumstances and awareness. Collectively, such MICRO-MANAGEMENT and MACRO-MANAGEMENT will form the NEW NORM of the post COVID-19 era.

Waves & Ocean

This is another very good analogy of the relationship between MONEY and LIFE by observing the sea waves and the ocean. MONEY is like the waves of the ocean which can be considered as source (LIFE) of the numerous waves. There can be no waves without the ocean. The waves represent the numerous individuals or resources that create the tidal flow. It is this flow that creates activities / values generating the cash-flow or MONEY.

The numerous waves then inevitably fall back / go back to the ocean. The ocean will continuously generate new waves to keep or sustain the tidal flows. MONEY and LIFE, therefore, work as a coherent whole, seamlessly, just like the numerous sea waves and the ocean.

One important aspect of this analogy is that each sea wave (individual / resource / MONEY) can be considered unique and independent, working collaboratively to generate the tidal flows (the Economy), while maintaining constant intimate contact with the ocean (LIFE). Therefore, MONEY and LIFE are two sides of the same coin.

Just as we have to protect the ocean for our global well-being and sustainability, we have to protect LIFE (in its narrow and broad sense) for our continual existence. The ocean is a complex web of bio-physical systems / environment. So is the human body. The energy required to drive the complex system is of course, ultimately, the SUN (nuclear or cosmic energy). LIFE is similarly inclined and to be treated like-wise-- the so-called MACRO-MANAGEMENT mentioned above.

There are many ways sea waves could be put to good use. This involves the detailed engineering study of the individual project concerned--- the so-called MICRO-MANAGEMENT similarly mentioned above.

MICRO-MANAGEMENT (“Me”) / MACRO-MANAGEMENT (“We”)

Our customary understanding of matters connected with MONEY usually revolves around financial issues, such as incomes (active or passive or passion) and income security. The latter can be translated into productivity and efficiency, motivation and intention. These require skills in MICRO-MANAGEMENT of the source(s) of income, particularly in the following broad areas: (1) Develop the habit of using PDAC or Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle for productivity and quality control of job output or impact etc. (2) Cultivation of adequate EQ or Emotion Quotient (in contrast to IQ or Intelligence Quotient) in self-management and social interactions etc. (3) Networking skills, particularly in the scope and scale of using social media, both on-line and off-line.

It is not possible to deal in details here on these topics. An entire book could be written on these, which hopefully I could embark on at a later stage (indeed, there are already numerous books on these topics in the market place). The emphasis here is to highlight the content and context of such topics in the post COVID-19 Era. Essentially, MICRO-MANAGEMENT is about the “ME” (as compared to “WE” in MACRO-MANAGEMENT, see below).

Similarly, the MACRO-MANAGEMENT aspects are equally important. These cover issues concerning “the ocean” in our cited analogy. This is the source of LIFE that give rise to the numerous sea waves, and more importantly, UNITES all the sea waves, and in fact, everything in / on / above the surface. It is not possible to discuss about anything that is not ultimately linked back to the source, the ocean in our analogy (the “WE”).

Therefore, in this sense I was “inspired” (in the negative sense) by President Trump (epitome of “ME”) when he talked about “American First” in this globalized world before the outbreak of COVID-19. Even the issue of “Re-localization” post COVID-19 is ultimately more an economic pursuit than an existential issue. The ultimate solution (if there is one) rests with the awareness and acceptance of the Commonality / Equality / Unity of all beings in the source --- the ocean in our cited analogy (the “WE”).

Fortunately, the COVID-19 is bringing about (gradually) such awareness and acceptance. More effort is required in this direction. This is the main concerns in MACRO-MANAGEMENT in the new environment of post COVID-19 era. The implication is that philosophy and spirituality are major existential concerns in our quest.

The persons who can combine MICRO-MANAGEMENT (“ME”) and MACRO-MANAGEMENT (“WE”) in such scale and scope will be the BUSINESS-PHILOSOPHER much needed in the post COVID-19 era.

This constitutes the optimal approach to the choice of MONEY and LIFE. However, there is still a missing dimension in this scenario…. We have only addressed the issues of WHAT and HOW…. This missing link is “WHY” or Purpose or Meaning. This is especially important in the post COVID-19 era.

What is the Purpose / Meaning of the sea waves (individuals)? Essentially, it is about freedom and Individual identity and experiences of Unity. Each sea wave can be deemed as individual with its own forms, size and shape etc. The sea wave is a part of the ocean, yet not apart from the ocean.
In the post COVID-19 era, MONEY and LIFE should bear similar relationship shown in the sea waves and the ocean. Their relationship would necessitate both MICRO-MANAGEMENT (the “ME”) and MACRO-MANAGEMENT (the “WE”).
.

The big WHY……

“Two Most Important Days in Your Life: The Day You Were Born and the Day You Discover Why”
…………. Ernest T. Campbell

In the post COVID-19 environment, we need to pay closer attention to both MICRO-MANAGEMENT (MONEY and ME) and MACRO-MANAGEMENT (LIFE and WE) to attain not just Happiness (usually Hedonistic Pleasures) but Eudaemonia (A Greek word of Aristotelian ethic conveying “moralized” or values-laden Happiness), because Happiness is NOT just “a state of Mind” (subjective). It is related to activities of living (combination of “Being and Doing”). This also answers the big “WHY” which must ultimately be addressed.

Imagine again you are a drop of sea water or wave. The wave embodies all your life experience and deemed to be your individual self / identity (MONEY or ME). Similarly for other waves on the ocean surface….. We perceive and are controlled by the duality or separation. Our predominant concern are with daily living and worldly affairs…the issue of MONEY or ME. This is how we experience the world and things around us. There is, however, nothing inherent wrong or undesirable about this or fact of life. We only need to do properly the MICRO-MANAGEMENT (MONEY and ME). Very often, we draw the Law of Attraction to help us achieve this area.

Most of us are not aware or conscious that we, as waves, are from the ocean. We carry the ocean within us….the ocean is in us. By way of the universal fractal holographic phenomenon, a tiny piece (i.e. drop of water or wave of ocean) of a hologram (i.e. ocean or the universe) contains the entire details of the hologram (i.e. ocean or the universe).
Now, just imagine and feel how powerful this awareness or knowledge is. We, as sea waves, have the entire power of the ocean or source. This is LIFE and WE. This is the essence of MACRO-MANAGEMENT. This is the Law of One.

When the wave or water drop falls back into the ocean, it could retain its experience, but would more importantly gets united with the ocean, and the embrace of the ocean and experience its Unity with the ocean (LIFE or WE). Being this and doing this, the sea waves (or individuals) attain Eudaemonia.
To paraphrase, to survive and thrive in the post COVID-19 era, we all need to be Business-Philosophers…. “Being Well and Doing Well”, employing the Law of Attraction (MONEY and ME) and the Law of One (LIFE and WE).

The so-called dilemma between MONEY and LIFE so hotly fought during the COVID-19 pandemic period would have to ultimately reconcile itself via Eudaemonia and its by-product of having a critical mass of the Business-Philosophers with the Aristotelian ethic

Sweet Memory of an Agro-Forestry Land

2020-05-19T12:02:00.001+08:00

I was tidying up / organizing my photos stock taken over the last decade or so. Certain photos really are nostalgic and bring back sweet memory. I am referring to the piece of Agro-Forestry land I used to enjoy spending weekends in. It was a 10-acre freehold land just adjacent to Nirvana Memorial Park at Semenyih.

I planned it as a week-end retreat cum investment that gave recurrent incomes and capital gain over the long-term. More importantly, it gave me the opportunity to get much needed exercise by physically working on the land .... there were tons of work to be done throughout the years, especially in the early stage.

To cut the story short, it was certainly not easy to generate recurrent incomes from agricultural productions (in fact, mostly subletting / contracting). It would certainly be better if agro-tourism and other cultural activities / education etc. could be incorporated from the beginning. This was the situation where Sharing Economy could be put to good and profitable use, and employing the model of collaborative productions and consumption.

Anyway, I truly enjoyed my "experience" on the land, physically, culturally, even spiritually. This is very much in the mode of "Half
-Farmer Half-X" way of living advocated by Mr. Naoki Shiomi as mentioned in my book.... the THIRD CHOICE.

This sweet memory and nostalgia make me wanting to revive such agro-forestry project if the right mix of opportunities comes along, or rather I could create such opportunity in the near future.

Paradigm Shift in Accommodation / Education / Social Business

2020-04-22T15:51:00.000+08:00

Demands for accommodation near College / University have always been good.... Is it possible to do a "paradigm shift"? Combining education with accommodation, where residents / tenants receive training, in situ, on various subjects that affects their daily life, such as property / lifestyle / network. This will bring about a massive movement towards Life-Long-Learning that is targeted to ordinary people in exploring / practicing skills in Property Investment, Work Efficiency, Work-Life Balance etc.

This is also potentially a thriving Social Business that could collaborate with Housing Developers, NGO etc.

I am seeking interested parties to embark on this Social Business, a prototype of which is shown / illustrated below:

hashtag: #rent2own, #propertyinvesment, #socialbusiness

From LOCKDOWN to NEW NORMAL

2020-04-03T16:57:00.001+08:00

This is the recorded version of the Power Point Presentation meant for the Facebook LIVE session on the 2nd April 2020, now uploaded to Youtube...

The next Facebook LIVE session would be on 9th April 2020 at 9:00 pm Malaysian time.... All are welcome.

From LOCKDOWN to NEW NORMAL

2020-03-30T01:12:00.000+08:00

The COVID19 has “achieved” much in term of bringing awareness and attention of general public to the need to slow-down and ponder over our lifestyle and incessant search for more growth on a planet with limited resources.

During the Lockdown period, we quickly learn that life could be very simple and slow, yet very fragile and lacking in true meaning and purpose. What is Happiness? What constitutes Wealth or Well-being?

Whole range of related issues also crops up…. Such as Security / Equality in term of Food, Fuel, Family, Finance, Faith and Fellowship etc.

How the Recovery / New Normal could be started / managed locally, regionally and globally. Most importantly, how you and I could start the Recovery process individually and collectively as a New Normal.
.
As the name suggested, the New Normal will be substantially different from the current system in term of size, scale and scope, involving P2P / Small Is Beautiful /DIY / Slow Movement / LEAN Logic/ Sharing Economy/ Permaculture / Systems Design etc.

The future of work will be drastically different, working from home (SOHO, small office home office) and Digital Literacy would be crucial …. The GIG Economy, Social Media, Video Marketing, Blockchain Technology etc.

On the philosophical and spiritual sides, the meaning and purpose of life (what is reality, ultimately) will also take on bigger significance in determining your Happiness / Well-being.

Hopefully, we will also come to reconcile the Law of Attraction (crucially important for earthy success?!) and the Law of One (finding real Peace, Love and Unity here on earth and afterlife). Also about Enlightenment vs Enlivenment if we bring in Ecology consideration as well..

This is not just starting, individually, with working from home (Small Office Home Office), but establishing, collectively, a chain / cluster of SOHOs that will usher in a fundamental transformation in lifestyle and investment behavior, placing equal emphasis on Returns on Investment (ROI) and more importantly on Returns on Life (ROL), giving true meaning and purpose of Life and Community of Commons (Enlightenment and Enlivenment).... the Hypercube Way as a Third Choice at this critical and unprecedented moment!

To start the process going, I will initiate a series of FACEBOOK LIVE sessions: (informal, on-line discussions, open to everyone)
(a) 2nd April 2020 (Thursday) 9:00 pm (Malaysian time)
(b) 9th April 2020 (Thursday) 9:00 pm (Malaysian time)
My FaceBook handle: Eric Lim (@erico47)

https://www.facebook.com/live/producer/schedule/10158412314387577

(PLEASE Share widely above details with your friends etc. No prior registrations required)

A surprise gift would also be given to the most active participant during the respective sessions.

Facebook LIVE Presentation: Dr. Hypercube

2020-02-23T10:23:00.001+08:00

I tried presenting a Facebook Live session on the Hypercube project, using "Dr. Hypercube" as a possible Trade-Mark ....I believe you will greatly enjoy and benefit from the topic........ Appreciate your comments / feedback...

Conquest the fear of Bukit Tabur

2020-02-13T12:27:00.000+08:00

Finally, today (05/02/20), together with two German sisters (Jasmin and Debra), I successfully climbed BUKIT TABUR.. the most challenging and dangerous hill (fatal accidents reported) in Kuala Lumpur / Selangor. Special thanks to Jasmin for making me do it :D ........... #bukittabur

Follower to my last post on Bukit Tabur, Fakhruddin Rahim, was motivated to climb the most dangerous hill in Kuala Lumpur ( please follow the hashtags he provided to know more about the hill).

Bravo, brother! I also look forward to your active participation in other activities organized by Hypercube @ soholand (#hypercubeevent). Thank you for your possible investment interest in Hypercuber@soholand (#hypersoholand).......

Burpee Variations for Beginners | Proper Form & Progressions

2020-01-30T17:38:00.001+08:00

I want to do all these.... How about you?

My New Year Resolution 2020

2020-01-03T11:35:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year 2020!

At the commencement of the new decade, it is of course appropriate and fashionable to have New Year Resolution. I am no exception, and indeed, I like to present my Year 2020 Resolution in a different format this year... in the form of a video.

Please enjoy viewing the video: https://youtu.be/We4craY1juM

Property Investment 3.0

2019-12-09T17:09:00.003+08:00

Property Investment 3.0: A possible panacea (cure-all) for Your Financial, Socio-Economic and Personal Development concerns

If we look at the recent property investment scene in Malaysia, we can get a glimpse of the “evolution” (for lack of a better term) of practice or emerging trend in investment preference or sophistication.

This could be the simple interpretation of the evolution of Property Investment:
Phase (1): Traditional Buy-Sell
Phase (2): Group Bulk Buy-Sell
Phase (3): Fractional Buy-Sell

There is obviously no clear demarcation of the various phases nor their exclusivity. The intention here is to high-light the importance of Phase 3 or Fractional Property Shared Ownership features and benefits, viewed from the financial, socio-economic and human development potential perspectives. Therefore, the first two phases would only be very briefly described, paving way for the emergence of Phase 3.

Fractional Property Shared Ownership is viewed as the forth-coming big things in the years immediate ahead, and could constitute the major part of the Sharing Economy which would itself be the Third Choice, after Capitalism and Communism as an alternative socio-economic, financial and business models.

Phase 1: Traditional Buy-Sell

This concerns usually single entities (corporate, individual or group of individuals) in newly launched projects from property developers or sub-sale markets, involving residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural properties.

This could be for investment or utilitarian purposes, may or may not with speculative intent.
The legal process and related financial, taxation, technical matters are relatively simple and straight forward (though time-consuming), making market entry and exit easy for broad group of people with diverse background.

The main issues here primarily concern the type of titles (freehold or leasehold and restrictions of interests), affordability and loan eligibility. Others involve the legal documentations for the purchase (Sale & Purchase Agreement, Registration of Transfer), bank loan (Loan Agreement, Deed of Assignment or Registration of Charge), payment of legal fees (for Transfer and Charge respectively) and the payment of Stamp Duties (for Transfer and Loan respectively).

It is therefore important for the buyer to know that the purchase of a property involves more than just
the initial deposit or down payment, payment of the differential sum (the amount of short-fall between the purchase price and the bank loan, for cases involving mortgage finance). Payment of Legal fees for both the purchase and bank loan and the associated stamp duties etc. All these could amount to substantial outlay.

This goes to show the need for Fractional Property / Shared Ownership to enable more people to be able to get into property investment, lowering the entry threshold, as will be illustrated in the subsequent section below (Fractional Buy-Sell).

Phase 2: Group Bulk Buy-Sell

This Involves Group Bulk Purchase of properties to reap substantial discount given by property developers or other motivated sellers. Usually group of individuals or special corporate vehicles are involved, usually with speculative intent to take advantage of market condition, usually formed with more complicated procedure, to facilitate market entry and exit. Similarly, bulk purchase by individuals could involve the use of compressed loans to attain high leverage etc.

Group or individual bulk purchase was very much in vogue during the height of the property boom, as it was very much promoted by “Property Gurus”, and those over-motivated investors. Many view this as get-rich-quick method in property investment based on the use of leverage (bank loan or mortgage).

The intent of property speculation is obviously high for such situation.

There is of course nothing wrong with the proper usage of financial leverage which is inherently the built-in advantage of property investment, especially in a booming market. However, the sword can certainly cut both ways. In a declining market, the rental returns or yield or even capital gain may not be sufficient to service the bank loan repayment, resulting in drastic loses or even personal bankruptcies etc.

This goes to show the need for diversification of property portfolios for those incline to be owners of multiple properties or property mini-tycoon.

In this context, Fractional Property / Shared Ownership could be the means for such diversification effort, as the threshold for such diversification could and would be low, by its very nature of being fractional.

We could, therefore, link Group Bulk Buy-Sell to Fractional Buy-Sell via the formation of group of like-minded people or community based on the Sharing Economy principle as is emphasized in the following section on Fractional Buy-Sell or the importance of the “commons” and “commoning”…..

Phase 3: Fractional Buy-Sell

This is a relatively new development, although fractional ownership has been part of the National Land Code since its establishment in Malaysia, and prior to that, in the colonial era, as a way to distribute real estate in family Inheritance etc. etc. However, it is the “modern” version of such Fractional Ownership that would be truly revolutionary as detailed below.

Fractional Ownership will make property investment more and widely affordable than otherwise possible. This lowering of Entry Threshold would have far-reaching effect in stimulating demand for Real Property and community building (gathering of like-minded people), facilitating the growth of the Sharing Economy.

The “modern” form of Fractional Property is still not commonly found in Malaysia, if we do not consider public REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as Fractional Property, because REITs are more like investment vehicles based on property rather than Real Property per se.
In fact, the viability and sustainability of Fractional Property / Shared Ownership depend on the proper adoption of the Sharing Economy model or its equivalent, without which no Fractional Property could be sustainably initiated or maintained.

To illustrate the working of such a Fractional Property, an example (known as HYPERCUBE fractional property) was described in THIRD CHOICE (Malaysian edition published in April 2019, written by yours sincerely), excerpt of which was given below (from pg. 16 to pg. 20 of the book).

The Hypercube (or any other Fractional Property properly constituted) is based on the idea of “commoning,” which is derived from “the commons” and means sharing resources in a fashion that allows all of society to have an equal part and say in the usage of these resources
The commons is not a resource. It is a resource plus a defined community and the protocols, values and norms devised by the community to manage its resources.

The Hypercube (or any other Fractional Property so constituted) functions as a social business to promote the sharing economy via co-working and co-housing. As a business, it promotes the live, work, travel, learn, play lifestyle to develop a social commons.

To ensure project sustainability and continual participation, the objective is to achieve the social experience of “Do good. Make money. Have fun.” The Hypercube strives to overcome, both locally and globally, the following social and economic problems currently faced by people around the globe:

● inability to own a primary home
● declining job market
● wealth inequality or distribution, particularly in the property market

By providing a mechanism for co-housing (a shared home) on a shared ownership basis, the threshold for property investment is lowered substantially. Shared ownership allows most people to join the game, rather than being excluded from participation. Co-housing is a solution for those suffering from the consequence of high inflation in property prices, which are forever rising faster than wages.

Furthermore, the co-working arrangement (a shared office) can encourage and support entrepreneurship or lean business startups among job-seekers, providing an alternative route to a declining job market. Ideally, people should be independent rather than merely depending on conventional employment for income.

Most importantly, the redistribution of income and wealth brought about by such a mechanism would remove or eliminate disparity in society, achieving social equity and solidarity via collaborative consumption within the sharing economy.

The Hypercube (or any other Fractional Property so constituted) is an example of open cooperativism, entrepreneurship and the commons, thus bringing about needed social changes, particularly in housing and home ownership. It was conceived as a working prototype of the sharing economy — promoting a sense of solidarity and fraternity in the property sector — to achieve the triple bottom line.

With costs spiraling, it’s been hard for young people to buy houses. Compounding the situation is the uncertain economic environment that makes well-paid jobs hard to come by. Even business startups are risky propositions in case of a lack of social networks and an alienating lifestyle.

The following are the root causes for these socio-economic problems:
● inflation working against average salary-workers
● escalating costs of residential properties
● startup costs for a new business
● lack of relevant knowledge and guidance
● the middle-income trap
● logistical difficulties with a business startup
● lack of opportunity to form social groups/living an alienating lifestyle
● lack of a holistic lifestyle

The solution to these socio-economic problems lies in a totally different approach to work: a networked community based on the sharing economy.

The Hypercube (or any other Fractional Property so constituted) is a viable alternative to traditional views of earning a living. It promotes early house ownership and comes with a business proposal that could be operated on a part-time basis, with the prospect of turning into something really big, yet socially and environmentally compatible.

The Hypercube (or any other Fractional Property so constituted) gives you a home, a business and a network.

Jessica Reeder, in her article “Hacking Home: Coliving Reinvents the Commune for a Networked Age,” expands further on co-living: “The underlying concept of co-living will be nothing new to anyone who has roommates … [It’s] a new type of cohabitation” that balances work and life. “Here, ‘home’ is reinvented with a new purpose. It’s a community, an ethos, a series of opportunities for collaboration.” Co-living, she writes, infuses “the blurring boundaries of work and leisure with new opportunities for inspiration, learning and social innovation.”

Co-working — joining individual professionals in one common workspace — influences co-living. “With no boss, no distractions and a building full of inspiring peers, synergy is the quick result of this separate-yet-together environment,” she writes.

Taking that a step further, a co-living home creates even stronger connections. Like-minded people share a common lifestyle and vision of the world. “Co-living spaces develop unique cultures based on the location and people chosen, their mission statement, and house activities,” Reeder writes. “The underlying culture gives birth to serendipitous connections between residents who share similar values and passions.” It is an example of networked individualism, and “inspired entrepreneurism is a central tenet.”

“Contemporary co-living builds on communal living practices, embracing a networked tech, business and science-fueled culture built upon innovation and realizing a better world through collaborative design,” she writes. It’s “entrepreneurialism with a conscience.”

Co-living isn’t exclusive, but its results are magical. “It connects people in a multitude of ways, building trust and creating infinite opportunities for collaboration,” she writes.

Imagine the ultimate: an international co-living network. “Imagine having a home wherever you go, well-appointed and populated by people you truly enjoy. Imagine landing in a new city and having an extensive professional network already in place,” she writes.

“Much of this is related to the 21st-century vision of sharing, which allows for a high level of individualism and experimentation,” Reeder says. “The co-living movement seeks out exceptional people, asking them not to give themselves up to a single cause, but to support each other’s exceptionality. This may be the key to a new definition of ‘home,’ one which provides comfort and friends along with inspiration and innovation.”

The Hypercube (or any other Fractional Property so constituted) is all about living within a functional sharing economy — co-working, co-living and sharing an inspiring life with others.

CONCLUSION:

Fractional Property is more than Property Investment…. It is Life Investment
The most-often-used measure of a country’s well-being is the gross domestic product, or GDP, but it fails to properly measure the well-being and happiness of its citizens. Therefore, there are many alternative measures proposed to do a better job, such as the genuine progress indicator, gross national happiness index, happy planet index, and social progress index.

In a very similar fashion, many current measures of financial returns are not able to measure the true prosperity of individuals. They are concerned with returns on investment (ROI) rather than returns on life (ROL), missing the very essential elements that make life fulfilling and meaningful.

Life Portfolio or Portfolio Life? “Own It or Live It”?

To put it in yet another way: Don’t just go for a life portfolio (things such as jobs, asset, investments, businesses or other résumé virtues); go for a portfolio life (experience such as community, travel, play, spiritual and other eulogy virtues).

Or as they say: “Buy experience, not things,” “better, not more” and “develop, not grow.”
However, the Hypercube (or any other Fractional Property / Shared Ownership so constituted) is designed to achieve both: “Own it. Live it.” With the Hypercube (or any other Fractional Property so constituted), you can have things (a second home) and experience, get better and more (social franchise), grow and develop (the commons). It is both having a Life Portfolio and a Portfolio Life. It yields both résumé virtues and eulogy virtues at the same time

It can clearly be seen that Fractional Property is not just about Shared Property Ownership. It is also an innovative lifestyle choice. Fractional Property can be coupled with Sharing Economy to produce a panacea (cure-all) for housing inequality, socio-economic issues, entrepreneurship and solidarity economy etc. etc. In fact, this is also the area that many leading-edge technologies are being developed, such as tokenization of property via Blog-chain technology or Prop-tech and related Fin-tech.

This is what Property Investment 3.0 should be: It is more than property investment. It is investment in Life. “Own It and Live It”. There is even a “sexy” name for it…. It is SEHXY (Sharing Economy Hub for X and Y, where X is Property Investment and Y is Lifestyle as illustrated above and the reason for having the sub-title “a possible panacea (cure-all) for Your Financial, Socio-Economic and Personal Development concerns”.

Do you believe in SERENDIPITY or Occurrence of Happy Coincidences?

2019-12-02T14:57:00.000+08:00

Serendipity is the occurrence of an unplanned fortunate discovery……the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

Recently, in a span of two days, I attended (seminar junkie real me?) the following events / discussions:
• 5G at MAGIC, Cyberjaya
• P2P Funding by Fundaztic
• Fractional Property by SPEEDPRO
• Block-chain Platform at ProximaX
• Social Environmental Wealth at 1010SE

These can be summarized in two groups of words: (FINTECH + PROPTECH) and (SHARING + ECONOMY)… currently the leading technology innovations in the digital economy and Business and Economic Model.

All these elements come together as well in my project called HYPERCUBE @ SOHOland.... what a serendipity for me!

The HYPERCUBE project is the convergence of these, and will be manifested as such in the various scheduled HYPERCUBE Events / Activities... We intend to give you "Your Dose of Serendipity" in such HYPERCUBE Events / Activities.

Please come and join us this and every weekend (Saturday) for a dose of such serendipity. This will change your life in a surprise, pleasant and profitable way!

Branding Hypercube Event

2019-11-12T12:16:00.000+08:00

As part of the effort to promote and popularize the Hypercube concept, the following theme was selected: “THIS IS A HYPERCUBE EVENT /ACTIVITY”, covering Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play which constitutes the “Holistic Living” component.

The first such event was staged at Villawangsamas Condominium on Saturday (9/11/19) and a repeat planned on Friday (15/11/19) at the same site.

We will be having a repeat of this exciting event this coming Friday (15/11/19)..... https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-talk-mystery-of-chocolate-and-its-business-tickets-81281072877?aff=ebapi

We will be organizing more similar events / activities both as a branding exercise in promoting and popularizing the HYPERCUBE concept / project.

We would appreciate your comments / feedback .....

Chocolate Party in Kuala Lumpur...

2019-11-06T09:02:00.000+08:00

The Mystery of Chocolate

Learn, get entertained then leave with a sweet taste in your mouth, some culinary art / skills on hand, and sweet business ideas at heart.

Join the preview by New York Chef Al's upcoming workshop designed to tell you the story of Chocolate and its role in culinary arts and business potential, now and in the near future.

Open your mind to delicious ideas (art / science / business), share experience and have a wonderful “chocolate party” this coming Saturday (9/11/19).

More details at: bit.ly/KLchocolateparty

ON THE GO ......

2019-10-28T15:13:00.000+08:00

On the Go….

In my many-year interactions with back-packers / nomad travelers, I have noticed one common phenomenon: the urge to keep on moving to get new experience or excitements / fresh perspectives etc., or on the go all the time. So-called bitten by the travel bug!

This was very well described by Robert Lewis Stevenson when he said “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move”. Many back-packers have similar experience.

This urge to move or to go is usually shown externally or outwardly as travel or change of job or residence, or in other areas such as buying new stuff / new experience. CONSTANTLY.

Or the urge can exhibit less commonly as an inward search for something psychological or metaphysical. In other words, there is no real need for physical move to satisfy the urge to move or to go. Such an inward journey can equally (if not better) satisfy such urge to move. Such inward journeys are certainly more environmental friendly and psychologically more rewarding?!

If you have the urge to move or on the go all the time, which categories do you belong to or want to belong to?

Millennials have no Appetite for Property?!

2019-10-17T11:55:00.000+08:00

Wanting to be mobile, Millennials have no Appetite for Property?!

It is often said that Millennials (22-37 years old) have no appetite for properties / property investment for the following reasons:
• Mobile Lifestyle…. Travel and work mobility
• Other priorities in experiencing things / countries etc.
• Social and Career pursuits etc.
• Financial issues etc.
• Lack of awareness / interest in property-related matters / issues
• Lack of Long-term perspective
• Lack of exposure to Block-chain technology etc. especially Fin-tech and Prop-tech
• Life Stage evolution: Resume virtues vs. Eulogy virtues

Each and every one of these issues could be adequately addressed and solved beautifully (holistically) using the Sharing Economy principles, as advocated in the HYPERCUBE project of Co-Working / Co-Living environment in a Commons Community, covering Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play components, giving rise to the Most Powerful Personal Space that any Millennials (and other age-group) can ever own.

The HYPERCUBE will make the property “delicious” or “propertilicious”, because the participants will lead a “Propertilicious Lifestyle”…. PROPERTY + LIFE !

What then is a HYPERCUBE? Please see this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edpsl08-0YI

Can Properties be Delicious?

2019-10-11T11:43:00.000+08:00

Can Properties be Delicious?

This is more than a mere “nutrition” issue …… because “malnutrition” in this area will lead to poverty and social problems and much more …

What are the most critical “nutrition knowledge” in property? The following list is not exhaustive:
• Motivation for Participation
* Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play Eco-system
• Legal, financial and taxation, technical
• Environmental issues
• Social Environment
• Community
• Personal Legacy

If you do not find these issues or matter “delicious”, you will be in big trouble in time to come.

It is our responsibility to make such issues “delicious” or what we called “propertilicious”. It is our intention to make your life journey a “Propertilicoius Lifestyle”, covering Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play through a program of Shared Property Ownership…. A community of like-minded people who incorporate various categories of properties into a delicious lifestyle format……PROPERTILICIOUS LIFESTYLE.

What and How is your appetite for Properties? Visit: www.soholand-collaborative.com

Startup vs. Foundup

2019-09-27T12:23:00.000+08:00

A startup or start up is a company or project initiated by an entrepreneur to seek, effectively develop, and validate a scalable business model.

What then is a Foundup? This is a new term not even found to date in Google Search nor Wikipedia. Therefore, you can expect something new is happening. Yes…. Indeed it is and obviously related to funding for business operation…. Capitalism vs Social Capitalism or Socapism so to speak.

According to an Open-Paper released by Foundups.com, a new kind of startups built on the blockchain. Imagine an autonomous fund that none can access and is run completely by machine learning, algorithms and smart contracts called OBAI (Open Beneficial Artificial Intelligence) and release dividends every time Proof of Benefit is met by a foundup….. a new kind of open selfless startups anyone can launch or can clone…. Making them highly scalable.

The WHY of the blockchain is to usher in Social Capitalism built on Proof of Benefit (CABR or Compound Annual Benefit Rate) and remove us off (CAGR or Compound Annual Growth Rate) or Proof of Growth. Foundups, one could argue, is the most important initiative on the blockchain…. This transforms the current paradigm of “Success = Access to Closed Capital Network” to simply “Success = Validated Idea”. Access to funding becomes based on validation and not growth.

The next question is: How to promote and implement Foundups? The suggested solution is a global network of independently run Foundup Houses, which are a cross between a hacker-house for launching foundups, a makers-space and a permaculture homestead for feeding the community.

To really think about it….. such Social Business / Enterprise (co-working, co-living, fractional ownership, tokenization etc.) is what SOHOLAND has been promoting all these past years…. What we really need to do more NOW is to move in more aggressively on BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY… God willing!

So.... SOHOLAND is on the way to become a FOUNDUP HOUSE!